Background
Patterson was born in Whittier, California, where she attended Rio Hondo College for a single semester.
Patterson was born in Whittier, California, where she attended Rio Hondo College for a single semester.
As an actress, her best-known roles were as Randy, the singing stewardess, in Airplane!, and as the lead in the television series Private Benjamin. Patterson began her professional career while still in high school, performing melodrama at The Bird Cage Theatre at Knott"s Berry Farm. She played Randy, the blonde stewardess in the 1980 comedy Airplane! Earlier, she had been a regular on two short-lived series, Working Stiffs and Goodtime Girls.
She also played Liz Drever in 1984, in Royal Flying Doctor Service, episodes 2, 3 and 4, in Australia.
Patterson was married to actor Robert Ginty. In 2009 she received her cantorial ordination from the Academy for Jewish Religion in Los Los Angeles
She is a founding member of the Musical Theatre Guild and has appeared in many stage musicals.